Personal information | |
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Born: | Marion, South Dakota | June 14, 1908
Died: | April 6, 1976 67) Wichita, Kansas | (aged
Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
Weight: | 220 lb (100 kg) |
Career information | |
High school: | Wichita (KS) Cathedral |
College: | Kansas |
Position: | Center |
Career history | |
As a player: | |
As a coach: | |
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Career highlights and awards | |
Career NFL statistics | |
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR |
Frank Joseph "Pete" Bausch (June 14, 1908 – April 6, 1976) was an American football center in the National Football League (NFL) for the Boston Redskins, the Chicago Bears, and the Philadelphia Eagles. He played college football at the University of Kansas.
Bausch was regarded as one of NFL's top centers in the 1930s, being named first-team All-Pro in 1936.[1] During his tenure with the Bears, he became a close friend of head coach George Halas, who personally nominated him for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. When Bausch was named the head coach of the Wichita Aero Commandos in 1942, Halas gave his blessing to the team and formed an agreement with the Commandos to become a farm team for the Bears.[2][3] Bausch was a player-coach for the Commandos and Eagles before retiring from playing at the end of the former's 1942 season.[4][5] After the Commandos shut down, Bausch remained employed by the team's owner Wichita Aero Parts Manufacturing Company and became an assistant at Wichita University.[6]
Upon concluding his involvement in football, Bausch co-founded Weyl-Bausch Tire Co., which became one of the top tire sellers in the Midwestern United States. He died of a heart attack in 1976.[7]
His older brother Jim Bausch played halfback in the NFL and won a gold medal at the 1932 Summer Olympics in the decathlon.[7]
References
- ↑ "Four Green Bay Packers, Three Boston Redskins Given Places on U.P. All-Pro Gridiron Team". The Davenport Democrat & Leader. December 18, 1936. Retrieved February 15, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Professional Football Will Be Started Here Next Month". The Wichita Eagle. August 2, 1942. Retrieved February 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Wichita Aero Parts Pros to Get Chicago Bears Talent". The Wichita Eagle. August 9, 1942. Retrieved February 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Aero Commandos face Camp Gruber this afternoon". The Wichita Eagle. October 4, 1942. Retrieved February 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Bausch will quit". The Morning Chronicle. AP. November 22, 1942. Retrieved February 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Pete Bausch named coach". The Wichita Beacon. August 17, 1944. Retrieved February 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- 1 2 Parson, Jeffrey (June 15, 2003). "'Little' Bausch left a big mark on sports". The Wichita Eagle. Retrieved February 15, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.